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John Miles, President of Steelite Americas leads buyout of Steelite International and becomes new Global CEO

Today, Steelite International is announcing that all global assets with the exception of Royal Crown Derby have been acquired by Steelite USA President John Miles and PNC Riverarch Capital; one of the largest financial services institutions in the United States.

John Miles will be the new global CEO of the Steelite International organization. In the past ten years, Steelite International total sales turnover has grown from £45million to over £100m in 2015, with record levels of profitability and has firmly established the Steelite brand name as a global leader in hospitality tabletop industry.

Below is the setup of the new Steelite International Group Operating Team:

Group Operating Team B&W from Alison
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In addition, former CEO Kevin Oakes will now become sole shareholder and CEO at Royal Crown Derby. Oakes is currently also Vice President of the British Ceramic Confederation and President of FEPF, the European body that represents ceramic tableware and giftware manufacturers. Oakes has stated that its his intention to continue to serve the industry that he has have worked in for the past 39 years.

Longtime Steelite International Finance Director Richard Poole has announced his long anticipated retirement although he will remain through year-end to assist with the transition.

John Miles: Third Generation Potter

New Steelite International CEO John Miles is the third-generation of a family who has worked in the pottery industry since the early 1930’s.

John 2 headshot
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Two of his grandparents worked at Shenango China in New Castle, PA and his father followed as a Production Superintendent. At the time, Shenango China was one of the leading dinnerware manufacturers in the US.

John worked his way through college and upon graduation went to work for Woodmere China. At Woodmere, John worked in every department which provided a solid foundation to understand how products were sourced or manufactured, and how to sell value added product. He also gained appreciation for design and how to treat a customer. From Woodmere, he worked at The Homer Laughlin China Co. for a few years where he furthered his knowledge of distribution.

John Miles joined Steelite International in November 1996 as a USA Regional Sales Manager for the Mid-West territory. In 1997, he was appointed National Distribution Sales Manager. In 1998, he accepted the position of National Sales Manager, and in 2000 John was named Vice President of Sales.

In 2005, John Miles advanced to the position of President of the Americas division of Steelite International. Through John’s vision and love of the industry, he has propelled Steelite to become the leading supplier of tabletop products in the US, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America. John’s recipe for success is fairly simple – Provide solutions in cutting edge tabletop products, support the local chefs’ community, develop personal

In addition to the video shown here, John agreed to sit with TabletopJournal for a short Q&A in our traditional format:

TabletopJournal: Will anyone (else) from the Steelite – Americas organization be moving to Stoke-On-Trent?

John Miles: No.  As the President and CEO, I’ll be managing both the Americas and the UK/Global business. We have expanded the responsibility of Kent Wilson, Terry Tanael & Jack Eaton in order to ensure coverage here in the Americas.  Neil Hooper, our Managing Director in the UK and Europe will continue to manage that business unit.  Jon Cameron will advance to the position of Financial Director, with outgoing Finance Director Richard Poole aiding in the transition for the balance of 2016.

TJ: What additional organizational changes do you anticipate at Steelite International’s Home Office in Stoke?

JM: The management team will remain the same.  We’ve expanded our Operations Team to include Bill Balshaw (Manufacturing Director), David Clarke (Technical/QA Manager), Jackie Evans (Head of Global Supply & Services) and Andrew Klimecki (Creative Director).

TJ: Are there particular regions of the world – other than the Americas – that you see as big growth opportunities for Steelite International?

JM: Currently, our single largest growth market is the Caribbean, Central & South America through the leadership of Carmen Benitez and her team.  We see this trend continuing.  Beyond the CC&SA, the key market focus will be our home UK market and Continental European where we believe there is significant growth opportunity.  As you’re aware, Steelite trades in over 142 countries.  Every market is important to us, but these are a few areas of focus.

TJ: Steelite International, in America and elsewhere, has expanded its products beyond just the Steelite branded products. Do you see this trend continuing and are there new categories on the horizon?

JM: What we call portfolio products, which are products not produced in our UK facility, have been an enormous part of our global success.  We do not believe portfolio products are cookie cutter.  In other words, what works here in the USA may not work in Germany, Australia, etc. However, we do believe that the strategy of pairing quality tabletop products which bring creative solutions to end users is something that we can carry through to other markets.  You can certainly anticipate seeing us proliferate the strategy in appropriate markets.  In terms of other mediums, we’re constantly searching for the next big trend, and you will definitely see a few surprises in the near future.

TJ: Royal Crown Derby has made great progress since being purchased by Steelite several years ago. Will Steelite continued to be involved with Royal Crown Derby in any way?

JM: Yes. We will continue to represent Royal Crown Derby in the UK and European markets, as well as the Americas market.  Royal Crown Derby is truly a great UK product, and Kevin Oakes will now be solely focused on growing and building that business.  We’re very pleased to continue to be partnered with Royal Crown Derby.

TJ: As the current shareholders of Steelite International, do you and PNC Riverarch Capital envision expanding the shareholder base?

JM: We do.  In short, the PNC Riverarch philosophy has always been of broader shareholding which incentivizes key management.  Steelite will not be an exception to how PNC has typically done business and structured management participation.

TJ: What is your long-term, overall vision for the Steelite International brand?

JM: For many years, we have worked to be the preferred choice in quality tableware on a global basis. We have achieved this through quality products with transparency in where they are produced, creative and exciting designs, solid service levels, a focus on developing great people and reinvestment of profits back into the business.  These qualities have helped to make a great company, and require constant honing and attention.  You will see our management team continue to focus on refining these qualities, to ensure a successful future.

 

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